The ABC of ransomware protection

Abstract

‘Your files have been encrypted!’ These five words have the potential to instil alarm as the realisation dawns that your system has fallen victim to ransomware. How it happened and what happens next, rather depends upon the precautions that may or may not have been taken beforehand. And as we will explore in this article, taking some basic steps in advance could help save a lot of problems later. Ransomware has become a significant problem and is now one of the most keenly recognised threats in the security landscape. And it's likely to get worse. Steven Furnell of the University of Plymouth and David Emm of Kaspersky Lab UK examine the history of ransomware and why it's so effective. And they detail the steps individuals and organisations can take to defend themselves from this growing menace, including using anti-malware, back-ups and patching.